looking for a local club, or am i???

http://michaelbarry.ca/2011/11/the-group-ride-2/
http://www.cyclosport.org/05-Jul-2011/news/the-offside-rule-for-cycling-...

From what I've read, it seems that a lot of the riders in sportives will not be aware of or practice these things. Some reports suggest that quite a few exhibit a shocking lack of road sense!

Join a club run to improve your group riding. On your first ride tell them beforehand that you're not used to it, ask about the group's etiquette, sit at the back and watch what goes on.

@Simon..

Yeah I've read about the sportive things, and they all seem to be common sense..

I've EVEN read some articles about how to sit in a group..

Just wondered if anyone had some first-hand experience on nice little starter tips for sitting with other people without getting everyone into the ground!

Very interesting thread. As a club rider (Bicester Millennium) I find some sportives are more like bar room brawls when compared to the discipline and skills of club riding.

But I appreciate that you do need to find the right club.
One anecdote I want to recount is when a club-mate was invited to join another club in London. When he turned up he was told he couldn't go on the ride because he hadn't shaved his legs . . .

nice one - don't forget us when you're famous!

Yay! Let us know how you get on!

OK I am a member of Sotonia and would recommend them very highly !
I “found “ them through a Southampton Council Bike event in the local park 3 years ago.
They were friendly and basically said turn up on a Sunday for a couple of weeks and if you like it join ! (£12 per year is the cost )
I was looking to learn group riding skills for a mass sportive in Hamburg. Since then I have gone on to do “Racing” (ie how to work as a team) group training session with a GB coach all through Sotonia.
They cover the full range of cycling in terms of activity’s but are mainly focused on Road (just completed my first 100 mile ride on Sunday’s (which with the ride to and from the start / finish was 125 miles (200Km)) reliability ride
Sunday are club runs and not training rides (Saturday rides are training rides) so in general most of the groups “wait” (they carry on at a slower speed until everyone is back together) at the top of any climbs
My advice ?
Turn up on a Sunday (check starting times on the website as they change around the time the clocks go back) join a group one below were you think you are !!! when the guys say they are going to Average X mph they mean that they will Average that speed over the whole ride, so a 15mph group will run at 17 / 18 on the “flat “ to take into account the hills etc
Identifier yourself to someone in the Sotonia Kit (orange) and they will point you in the direction of Martin / Julian who will sort you out from there
There is normally around 4 groups (but can get to 7 or 8 in summer ) each group is slightly different depending on what the ride leader wants to do. They will shout out at the start what each group will be doing in terms of Average speed / Distance and if the route is specifically hilly (some like Hills and pick routes to get the most in).
The slower groups (15 mph or less) will look after you (or at least make sure you know where you are and how to get home) this normally means that someone stays with you (or once you have the skills pace you back on to the group) etc
If after your first ride you found them “too slow” then the following week step up a group
The only other bit of advice would be for your first couple of rides sit towards the back of the group and watch what happens and why it happens etc you will soon pick up the “ropes”
The big thing I have found is that when you do a Sportive you can spot the experienced (group ) riders very quickly and the less experienced even quicker which can be useful in terms of picking a group to ride with (or in my case to hang onto !!!)

Speed-wise that'll probably be fine to get you going. Your legs will hurt, but it's all part of the fun! Bite the bullet

All good advice here. I rode alone for a few months to reach the fitness for 30-40 miles in 2-3 hours, then used the british cycling link above to find a local club just over a month ago. Although I had already decided to do this, my choice was re-affirmed when I went past a group that was so lacking in experience that they were downright dangerous to themselves in traffic. (This appeared to be a club, so like anything, there are good and bad ones) This forced me to realise that a large part of Sportives may be like this. Riding in a bunch where no-one warns of obstacles, calls out the oncoming car, or even bothers to position themselves safely on the road.

Sorry, this is slightly cynical, but you get the idea.

I deliberately chose a small club so as to focus on riding my bike as opposed to Annual General Meetings or fundraising for a new clubhouse roof or some such. I've been on maybe 5 club runs now on consecutive weekends. I'm definitely getting fitter, and seeing some great countryside that I would never have found on my own. I was nervy about holding a wheel at first because I couldn't see the upcoming potholes for myself and had to trust other riders calls/hand signals, but I'm improving.

I suppose riding alone gives you fitness, but riding in a group gives you skills as well as fitness.

You may want a bigger club with multiple groups so you can move up them. If you go out with the 'social' group first, they will probably have an agreement to not leave anyone behind.

Good luck!

Try http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder - hopefully should help.

okay - so tangential question from an interested lurker on the thread

once you've decided to join a club, are there any sites for finding one nearby?

I'd definitely recommend joining a club. Compared to a sportive you get all the benefits of the groups knowledge as mentioned by Farky, its much cheaper and you have all the challenge you need just by moving up the groups.
As you mentioned you have youth on your side and you could look at real racing when you've got some miles in your legs rather than the middle aged posing that goes on at sportives (there, I've said it).

That does sound like a rant.....

Theres always the good and bad in clubs, I used to ride with a club who treated every ride like a race, but in general you get more from a club than riding on your own, it does take effort to be in a club, like any relationship it takes some working.

You will find your like minded friends in a club, any club, touring, racing whatever they say they are.

Dont be put off riding sportives, infact, it can be a great way to meet club riders, look for them, talk to them, ask to join in with them for a while, many will be happy to help you along, some wont.

One big thing I would say....dont let a forum determine your choice....they dont represent personalities the best. Communicating in writing is limited and attracts all sorts...like me.

Sotonia Do time trials, group rides,reliability rides(sportives with out signage and minimal costs)Hill climbs etc.Group rides on Saturday tend to be a training ride.On Sunday there are often as many as six groups going at different speeds and distance to various destinations. No cost to try before you join.See their website for more info -
http://www.sotonia.co.uk/

first to bite...

As an experienced club rider who just completed a sportive in a group on Sunday, I can safely recommend that joining a club will def be the way to go.

No sportive can teach you the following:
1. Road Safety in groups
2. Group edicate
3. Group riding technique safety & efficiency

These things come only from experience, chatting and learning. You dont need to attend every group ride, but even discussing these things will help more than reading.

I rode with a small group of riders, none of whom had any intentions of joing local clubs, as they didnt see the value and didnt want to join club rides on a Sunday morning.

None of these riders could hold a wheel properly to save themselves from exerting so much energy.
None of them could pace themselves to the pace of the group, dropping their own mates on numerous occasions.
None of them could safely rise as a group with traffic, sometimes making overtakes more difficult and sometimes not even aware of traffic.
None of them could confidently tackle junctions, roundabouts or other obstacles on the road as a group, instead coming to an almost stop at the sight of such.

I ride as a motorcycle safety marshal at races and also attend sportives as safety rider and this is pretty much the same throughout the entire sportive calendar.

Without a decent club passing on the years of experience gathered from group riding, your just putting yourself at risk.